Marion Moore in the birthdaay shawl crocheted for her by one Govanhill resident

“I feel like a celebrity. It’s a bit overwhelming, but I’ll never forget what staff and the people of Glasgow have done for me.”

Marion Moore turned 80 yesterday. In normal circumstances she would have been granted her wish of going out in a limo to celebrate her birthday in style. But lockdown put paid to those plans.

So staff at Hector House care home in Shawlands decided to get creative and turned to the online community for ideas.

Carer, Gillian Deans posted on Facebook about the upcoming big day and asked ‘brilliant little artists’ to make a birthday picture and share it. She was hoping to get 80 pictures, one for each year of her life. She said:

“I did it because Marion has been with us many years and it was a big birthday. We felt bad that we couldn’t grant her birthday wish so wanted to find a way to make it special.”

Gillian never imagined that the post would go viral. But it was shared thousands of times in the different Facebook groups that cover the area. Soon the offers of support were flooding in. A neighbour was making bunting, kids were getting their paints out, people were warming up their vocal chords.

When the big day rolled around, visitors started to appear. Some bearing balloons or flowers. Others with cards, banners or other decorations. A woman in Govanhill delivered a hand crocheted shawl. There was a whole array of musical offerings; a young boy with bagpipes, a teenager with a violin, a clarinettist, a man with a guitar, several singers with amps and backing tracks.

Around 150 people stopped by at different times throughout the day. And it didn’t stop there. Online, more positive wishes flooded in. Two members of the horn section from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra sent in a recorded message. Flowers arrived from as far away as Wales, and a card came from Guernsey.

Angela Todd is the manager at the care home. Speaking about the well-wishers, she said:

“I think people turned up because they genuinely care about older people in our society. My staff and I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response and we can’t thank the community and beyond enough. There’s a lot of good people out there.”

She also spoke about how they were trying to keep things going as normal as possible: “The mood is good here. We avoid having the news on and use apps like FaceTime so residents can video call and reassure relatives that that they are happy. The staff are amazing, keeping smiling and positive during these difficult times.”

It may not be the birthday celebration Marion had planned, but it’s one that her, the other residents and care home staff will never forget.